Rᵁᴮᵞ Hᴼˢᴴᴵᴺᴼ → Iᴰᴼᴸ ' ˢ Bᴱᴳᴵᴺᴺᴵᴺᴳ

𝒩ᴼᵂ 𝒫ᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : ❝ ℬᴱᴶᴱᵂᴱᴸᴱᴰ ❞ 𝒷ᵞ 𝒯ᴬᵞᴸᴼᴿ 𝒮ᵂᴵᶠᵀ

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

ᴡʜᴀᴛ's ᴀ ɢɪʀʟ ɢᴏᴛᴛᴀ ᴅᴏ? ᴀ ᴅɪᴀᴍᴏɴᴅ's ɢᴏᴛᴛᴀ sʜɪɴᴇ

﹌﹌﹌

ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ ʀᴜʙʏ finished calling Miyako and Aqua and telling she got on Idol's Beginning, she immediately went to talk to Ichigo in-person. She was not ready to go through this alone.

She had updated him on every step. After getting things straight with Aqua about how her dreamy aesthetic would look on her social media accounts and on her, she told him she was calling her friend just to call Ichigo. He told her to try posting something that would draw attention to her, and she thought covers would be good. She tried a cover of one of B-Komachi's old songs to remind her of Ai, and wouldn't you know it, it got the attention of people. She started posting dance covers too, and it wasn't only to B-Komachi songs, and that got more people's attention.

Enough to fit Masaya's requirements of being well-known.

She was going to be casted as an up-and-coming idol. She may or may not have hinted a music video coming up, so that rumour was up in the air with her new fanbase. It was getting her more attention, but now that she had it, she wasn't sure how to deal with it. It wasn't like she wanted them in the first place.

When she saw Ichigo, the first thing he said was, "You absolutely cannot lose this fanbase, Ruby. Keep it for as long as possible. Being famous has its advantages, and now that it's possible for you to have it, don't lose it."

"I won't," Ruby promised.

"You also have to remember that you're not as well-known as others. Yes, your stage name is starting to go around the Internet, but you don't hear people talking about you in real life. Thankfully, I've heard rumours that someone else that's also new is going to be there, so you'll have someone else there, but remember your place."

Once he was sure she remembered, he continued. "Use this show as an opportunity. Remember to keep your dreamy and somewhat mysterious attitude, but don't be afraid to push yourself out there. When your on set, you're not Ruby Hoshino anymore; you're Sarina, a promising new idol. Keep acting even if the camera's not rolling, because it will be easier to be Sarina if you keep acting like her. Get as much screen time as you can, and push Sarina out there and make a name for her."

"How do I get that screen time?"

"Make yourself interesting. We'll need a backstory for you, dreams, likes, dislikes, passions, everything."

"So...you basically treat me like one of those original characters?"

"We treat Sarina like an original character. Ruby can be whoever she wants, but if Sarina wants to stand out, then that's how we treat her."

Ruby nodded. "Do you know when filming starts? Masaya didn't mention it to me."

"It should be soon." Ichigo pulled out a notebook. "Now come on. You didn't plan Sarina's life story with Aqua, and need to get started on that."

. . .

ɪᴅᴏʟ's ʙᴇɢɪɴɴɪɴɢ ᴡᴀs supposed to be about seven well-known teenagers getting together after school to hang out. Several challenges will be made along the way to test their friendships and to strengthen them at the same time. A few seasons had romance involved, but the show is more about friendships between teenagers, to show the audience that famous people aren't that different from regular people.

The show did not take place after school. They only aired on Fridays after school, but the episodes were recorded on weekends. Everything else looked like it was true, but Ruby—or Sarina—wasn't so sure.

The first episode was just to get to know everyone. They hadn't met yet to keep things "real", and they were supposed to walk into an empty classroom the show rented and introduce themselves to their new friends. Four people already did—a model named Yuki Sumi, a dancer named Nobuyuki Kumano, a bandsman named Kengo Morimoto, and a YouTuber named Mem-Cho—and it was now Sarina's turn.

Sarina pulled down on her blue sweater with clouds on it, almost covering her white skirt, before entering the room. The four members of the cast there were sitting around tables set together so they could all sit together. She smiled, keeping it small, and made her voice soft and calm. "Hello, everyone. My name is Sarina. I'm a new idol, and it's a pleasure to get to know you."

She made sure to take note of the camera angles. She remembered vaguely of Ai talking about how TV was easier than performances since she only had to look cute in front of a camera instead of everywhere, so she tried to look sweet yet mysterious in front of the cameras in the room.

"Hi, Sarina," Yuki Sumi said as she took a seat. "I heard you singing some covers of B-Komachi's songs online. You have a great voice."

Sarina smiled as thanks. Yuki didn't have to know she spent hours trying to get the perfect voice that matched her concept.

"Do you like B-Komachi?" asked Nobuyuki Kumano. "I have a friend who likes them."

"I love their songs," she replied. "It's sad that they disbanded, but I suppose it was a must."

"And who doesn't like B-Komachi?" jumped in Mem-Cho. "Especially Ai!"

"You're going to make it big one day," said Kengo Morimoto. "There's something about you..."

Sarina waited for him to finish, but he didn't.

The next person came in. She had shoulder-length purplish-blue hair, her eyes shyly looking around. "My name is Akane Kurokawa. It's nice to meet you."

"You're very pretty," said Sarina, moving her chair so Akane could take the one beside her.

"You're an actress, aren't you?" asked Nobuyuki.

Akane nodded. "I'm with Lala Lai Theatrical Company."

"I heard Lalalie has very good actors and actresses," said Yuki.

"We all work together and put our best efforts into it."

"It really shows in your works," said Kengo.

The last person came in, startling Sarina. Even if his purple hair looked a little different than the last time, she still remembered him.

He looked away from everyone else as he introduced himself. "Hey. I'm Melt Narushima. It's... I look forward to getting to know you."

He hurriedly sat down in the last seat, and it happened to be next to Sarina. He obviously remembered her, but she looked away.

Nobuyuki, also sitting next to him, patted Melt's shoulder. "Don't be nervous! We're all a little shy."

"We'll all be friends before you know it!" said Mem-Cho. "Isn't that why we're here?"

"It'll take some time," added Yuki, "but I'm sure we'll be okay."

Melt smiled, but he still looked shy. While everyone else kept talking, Sarina saw from the corner of her eye that he was looking at her, but she didn't look at him. To distract herself, she started a conversation with Akane.

"How long have you been acting for?" she asked.

"Since I was a child," Akane replied. "I love acting."

"Acting seems so interesting. It takes talent to pretend like you're someone else entirely..."

"Being an idol seems cool too. You get to sing and dance, all while looking cute."

Sarina shook her head. "I don't even have a music video yet. Just covers of me dancing, singing..."

"You look like you're having fun though."

She nodded, but she wasn't. She wouldn't tell Akane or anyone else there, but she already had to filter her comment sections on all of her social media accounts. Some old men were already taking advantage of the fact she was a pretty-looking minor and commenting inappropriate things, but she thankfully had Strawberry Productions on her side.

Sarina kept her conversation with Akane going until it was time for the first challenge. Before they could find out what it was, they were instructed to pick a name out of a hat to find out who their partner or team of three would be.

Kengo went first. When she saw she got herself, she took another name out of the hat. "'Akane Kurokawa.'"

Nobuyuki went next. "'Yuki Sumi.' That doesn't sound too bad."

That left Sarina, Mem-Cho, and Melt for the group of three.

They found out they were playing a scavenger hunt game, the winning players getting a prize. Each of them got one starting hint per partnership or group, and the game started once everyone had one.

Once Kengo and Akane got their hint, the game was on.

"'I have hands, but I can't clap'," Mem-Cho whispered to her partners. "'What am I?'"

"Someone who's paralyzed," said Melt.

"We're not finding someone paralyzed here," said Sarina, her voice containing a slight amount of dislike only Melt noticed.

Mem-Cho pointed to the door. "Let's go!"

As the first people who left the building, everyone else probably thought they knew what they were doing. They actually didn't. They were walking around and looking for something with hands but couldn't clap.

Sarina took the time to review the tips Ichigo gave her. Don't talk about yourself much to keep mysterious. It's okay to be quiet, but don't be too quiet or people will think you're trying too hard. Smile and keep eye contact, and look at the camera sometimes to have a chance to be in edits. Respect others and don't be rude. Above all, remember that you're an idol and idols are supposed to be cute.

"Do you know what it could be, uhh...Sarina?" Melt asked her.

Sarina shook her head. She wasn't paying attention to where they were going, but she saw they were in a hallway. She could see through a window that the sun was still up so they hadn't gone for long. A grandfather clock was making its ticking noises that she hated when she was actually Sarina and not Ruby. She heard it too many times in the hospital.

She went to go check what time it was and saw it was nearing 4:00. They didn't start the game long ago, so they hadn't wasted too much time.

Mem-Cho gasped. "Sarina, you're a genius!"

She was?

Mem-Cho stood on her toes to reach a slip of paper hidden behind one of the hands. Sarina felt like an idiot for not realizing clocks had hands that didn't clap after she spent hours in her past life in a room with a clock.

"'I'm in a building that has the most stories,'" Mem-Cho read. "'I can skip, but I can't walk. I'd rather sing than talk. What and where am I?'"

"It's obviously in the library," said Melt. "It has tons of stories. Sarina, you're in idol, so you sing. Do you know what the second part is?"

"We can find out in the library." Sarina led the way there. They found themselves in a long library with shelves full of books. Dark wood surrounded them as the stained glass filtered the light.

Yuki and Nobuyuki were already there. Yuki sported then and smiled before searching the library with Nobuyuki again.

"'I can skip, but I can't walk. I'd rather sing than talk.'" Melt looked around. "Nothing would sing in a library—unless you are singing in a library. Maybe someone needs to sing. Sarina?"

"Singing would require me to be loud, wouldn't it? I think I would rather stay quiet." Staying quiet meant she wouldn't have to talk to him.

"Singing rather than talking..." Mem-Cho repeated it to herself as she looked around, moving furniture as she did.

They spent a good time in the library. Kengo and Akane joined them, but they seemed to disappear after a few minutes. They probably found it before the rest of them did and left before they could notice.

"Maybe we should take a break," Mem-Cho suggested to Sarina. "I think we deserved one, right, Melt?"

Melt wasn't with them.

After a few minutes of calling them, he returned with a slip of paper in his hands. He nodded his head towards the door, and they left.

"It was talking about a record player," he told them when he knew Yuki and Nobuyuki couldn't hear them. "I found it in the back closet."

"Ooh, that's smart!" Mem-Cho took the paper and read the clue. "'I am where the tools live, and what a snake does when it's sick of its skin. I may look like a snake, but don't worry—I'm filled with water, not venom. Where and what am I?' I know it's in the shed! The shed is where tools live! And snakes shed!"

"So we have to go outside?" Sarina said tonelessly. It earned a small chuckle from Melt. She frowned at him for only a quick second before wiping it off of her face.

Mem-Cho took them outside, and it looked like they were the only ones there. They were way ahead of the other two teams! And the flowers looked beautiful...

Melt opened the shed door, revealing piles of unorganized tools. "What's something that looks like a snake?"

Sarina taught the urge to say he did. "Something long and probably green."

"Like a hose?" Mem-Cho crouched down to the only garden hose. She unwinded it and found three slips of paper under it. She took one. "'This is your final hunt before your prize. Personally, I can't mix batter, but I can bake a cake. What am I?'"

All three of them said at the same time, "An oven!"

They were still ahead of the others, but that didn't stop them from rushing to the home economics room. The room was a nice pink with white cooking utensils, the room smelling of fresh cupcakes. That was because of the dozen of cupcakes set for the winning group.

"We did it!" Mem-Cho high-fived her teammates. She didn't notice Sarina and Melt didn't high five each other since she was already taking a cupcake. "I love vanilla cupcakes!"

Sarina liked chocolate more than vanilla. Chocolate reminded her of a doctor in her past life, Gorou Amamiya. He liked chocolate.

"I like chocolate better." Melt was talking to Mem-Cho, but he was looking at Sarina.

Since they were probably waiting for her opinion, she said, "I like strawberry better."

It took a few minutes for the rest of the cast to come. They didn't mind sharing their victory cupcakes with them, and Akane and Sarina went to a quieter area together to eat their cupcakes in peace.

"Did the scavenger hunt change your mind about Melt?" Akane asked her.

Sarina frowned. "What would I change my mind about?"

"O-Oh, umm..." Akane looked away. "No reason..."

"The scavenger hunt was fun though," Sarina said to switch the topic. "Did you get along with Kengo?"

As long as the conversation wasn't on her or Melt, everything would be okay. For one thing, she knew from personal experience that fans could act crazy when they find out their favourite idol was talking to a boy. She wasn't planning on dying anytime soon. Even if she didn't die to a stalker, she'd probably die from a very angry Ichigo.

Sarina didn't know when exactly filming stopped, but a little after Akane and her finished their cupcakes, Akane pulled out a notebook and pen. She walked up to one of the cameramen and started asking him questions, writing down his responses in her notebook.

Seeing her curious gaze, Kengo said, "Akane does this thing where she writes down things she needs for her acting. I guess since this is a reality TV show, there isn't much of a script, so you're just taking tips from the crew."

Sarina nodded. "Then it's less scripted than some people think..."

"I think there are some reality TV shows that script everything. They just look too fake, you know?"

"Are you talking about that new reality TV show?" Sarina didn't watch reality TV shows, but no one needed to know that. "That show felt too fake. Even if it was scripted, I feel like they could have acted better..."

Kengo's face said his agreement before he said it. He didn't seem like he was too bad of a boy, one that would respect your choice if you told him you wanted to stay friends, and she might be able to convince everyone online they were just friends if she was careful with how much time they spend together. Being a potential idol who could easily ruin her career for being friends with a boy... What a pain...

Sarina spent some time with chatting with Yuki and Nobuyuki too. They were friendly, but something about Yuki didn't sit right with her. She ignored it.

The only one she didn't talk to was Melt. She wasn't planning on talking to him on set for the first few episodes or even days on set. Like Ichigo said, the more she acted on set, the easier it would be to act when filming. So, Sarina would keep her act going until she was forced to become Ruby again.